Galapagos Islands Photo Tours and Workshops

Come with us on a photography tour to the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador is one of South America's jewels, with a remarkable collection of landscapes, animals, plants, people, volcanoes, cloud forests, and most amazing of all, the Galapagos Islands. More than 600 miles offshore in the Pacific, these islands are home to fascinating species of birds and animals such as marine iguanas, giant tortoises, blue and red-footed boobies, pelicans and even a few penguins.
These are the legendary islands that inspired Charles Darwin to propose his theory of evolution. They've inspired us to create this incredible Galapagos Island photo tour package, which includes flights, first-class hotels and island lodges, most meals, National Park fees, and a truly fascinating program of exploration on Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela Islands.
Tour Leader: Jeff Donald
Itinerary
Day 1:
USA/Guayaquil, Ecuador. Your exciting photography tour to the Galapagos begins today as you depart for Guayaquil, Ecuador. Upon arrival, you will be met by your photo instructor and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2:
Guayaquil, Baltra& Santa Cruz Island. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra on the Galapagos, where you'll be assisted and transferred via ferry to nearby Santa Cruz Island. Begin your Academy Bay Tour at La Loberia, where you have the option to snorkel and photograph sea lions. Enjoy a 40 minute sail to Tortuga Bay. As you enter the white sandy beach, you have a chance to photograph different marine species like sting rays and baby reef sharks in the shallow waters of the mangrove ecosystems. You may also be able to photograph the Flightless Cormorant, unique to the Galapagos and one of the world's rarest and most endangered birds.
With no natural predators, these birds evolved to lose their ability to fly, and like many Galapagos species, have no fear of man and can easily be approached and picked up. Visit the beach for a swim and a box lunch, followed by very short hike to the marine iguana nesting site. Walk through a prickly pear forest carpeted in crimson sesuvium with black lava outcroppings, home to more marine iguana colonies. Continue to the lodge, with some time to relax. In the evening, enjoy a welcome cocktail, followed by a briefing with your naturalist guide and your photo instructor and dinner at the nearby Aventura Lodge.
Day 3:
Santa Cruz Island & Floreana. After breakfast, you'll set out on short, easy hike to photograph Los Gemelos (The Twins), two enormous collapsed lava chambers—an awe-inspiring visual reminder of the power of nature. The path to the lava chambers a wonderful introduction to the great biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Highlands, teeming with endemic flora and fauna, including the remaining Scalesia Forest draped in liverwort, large and small tree finches, the adorable Vermillion Flycatcher and more. Afterward, drive through a 600-acre private reserve where giant Galapagos tortoises freely roam, graze and sleep. Feel free to mingle and photograph these gentle giants. As prehistoric as these creatures look, wait until you hear what they sound like! Galápago is Spanish for tortoise, and the islands were named for these amazing creatures. Next, you'll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore and photograph the remnants of an illuminated lava tunnel.
Created by lava flows, this tunnel is 1350 feet long with a ceiling nearly 20 feet high in most places, adorned with stalagmites & stalactites, mineral-colored walls, and a rippled lava floor. Return to Aventura Lodge for lunch, then sail to Floreana Island (about 1.5–2 hours). Arrive at the main dock in Floreana, where you often have to 'shoo' sleeping sea lions from the steps. On the other side of the dock, the black lava rocks are typically covered with an abundance of Floreana's red and turquoise-colored marine iguanas. Floreana is one of the first inhabited islands and has perhaps the most interesting history. In the 18th century, whalers maintained a wooden barrel at Post Office Bay which served as an informal post office; homebound ships would pick up letters addressed to their destination.
To this day, mail is still placed in the barrel without postage, and visitors sift through to find cards and letters that they can deliver by hand in their home countries. Check-in at Floreana Lodge. You'll have time for swimming and snorkeling at Black Beach. Keep an eye out as you may get a chance to photograph pink flamingos and green sea turtles, which nest on Floreana from December to May. Tonight, enjoy a BBQ dinner at a local restaurant, where you will sample the Galapaguena gastronomy and warm hospitality of one of the island's first families. Hear from them about the mysteries of Floreana Island.
Day 4:
Floreana & Isabela. After breakfast, depart in an open-air bus for the highlands. En route, your naturalist guide will fill you in on the history of Floreana, the first settled island in the Galapagos. Walk up to the Asilo de la Paz (Peace Asylum), site of an artesian spring, one of the few year-round sources of fresh water in the Galapagos, which attracted pirates, whalers and later settlers to Floreana. You'll also see and photograph the Cueva de los Piratas (Pirate's Cave), where pirates carved temporary shelter out of soft stone. This was also where Margret Wittmer, one of the original settlers, gave birth to her son Rolf, who promotes responsible tourism to the Galapagos Islands through his foundation.
Continue on to Cerro Pajas (Bird Hill), where you'll see a profusion of Floreana finches, along with spectacular views of the island and the sea below. Visit another tortoise reserve, where you can watch many of the giant tortoises up close. Set sail for Isabela (about 1.5–2 hours, weather and tides permitting). As you approach the island, experience a photographic feast as you watch sea turtles, sea lions and penguins in the stunningly clear turquoise water below. Arrive at your lodge for check-in and lunch. Afterward, you'll board a smaller craft for a photo tour of the bay, slowing along the shore to view blue-footed boobies, colorful Sally Light foot crabs, and Galapagos penguins, the only tropical penguin on earth. Walk through an intriguing jagged "AA" lava field, passing abundant colonies of marine iguanas and a small canal full of resting white-tipped reef sharks. Keep an eye out for the unique bird life of the island, including cormorants, pelicans, Darwin's finches, Galapagos Hawks and Galapagos Doves. Return to the dock to snorkel this warm shallow bay, where sea lions, penguins, and more of the (fascinating but harmless) white-tipped reef sharks swim amongst the gnarled mangrove roots. Return to the lodge to relax and before the daily briefing and dinner.
Day 5:
Isabela. After an early breakfast, depart in 4x4 vehicles through the transitional zone and into the humid highlands on the slopes of Volcan Sierra Negra, the second largest volcano in the world. Hike to the caldera of Sierra Negra, a gaping 4 miles across, where you can photograph the area and have a snack while enjoying the breathtaking views. For hardier hikers, there will be an another optional hike across the lava fields to the slopes of the adjacent Volcan Chico. Lunch today will be at Campo Duro, which offers guests an opportunity to become a "patron" of their chosen tortoise. You can name your chosen tortoise, add stories to the Patron's book, and invite your friends to 'visit' the tortoise.
After lunch, visit Las Cuevas de Sucre, a park of lush green endemic plants. Here you will find the lava tunnels of Santa Cruz, where the ceilings look as if you are walking through a gold mine. Next, visit the El Manga Mirador, named after a mango tree planted here by early settlers. On a clear day, from the highest peaks, you can view the entire southern part of Isabela Island and other islands, both near and far such as Floreana and Santa Cruz. In the evening, briefing followed by dinner.
Day 6:
Isabela & Santa Cruz. After breakfast, drive out of town along the 2 miles of picture-perfect, white-sand, palm-lined Long Beach, the most beautiful beach in the Galapagos. As you enter the National Park, stop to walk up the stairs for astounding vistas from the top of Cerro Orchilla. Next, you'll visit the Muro de Las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears), constructed from jagged volcanic rock carried long distances by penal colony prisoners. The path to the Wall of Tears is abundant with lava lizards - large, striped males and red-throated females - and you may see their nests along this trail. As you continue your drive, you'll very likely see the largest of the Galapagos marine iguanas sunning by the side of the road. And don't be surprised if you have to wait for a Galapagos tortoise to cross the road in front of you. Isabela has more tortoises in the wild than any other island, with several sub-species, each evolving independently, separated from the others by the island's lava fields.
On your way back to town, you will visit the Interpretation Center, a breeding center for the giant Galapagos Tortoises and the only place to view the rare flat-backed "tabletop" Galapagos tortoises, many of which still bear the scars of volcanic activity from Sierra Negra. Set sail from Isabela for Santa Cruz (about 1.5–2 hours). Arrive in Puerto Ayora and check in at your lodge. After lunch, enjoy a guided tour of the fascinating Charles Darwin Research Station. This afternoon, you'll have some free time to browse the shops along Charles Darwin Avenue in Puerto Ayora.
Day 7:
Santa Cruz Island & Guayaquil. Transfer to Baltra Airport for the return flight to Guayaquil. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. You may choose an afternoon optional photo tour of Guayaquil, visiting the Centennial Park, commemorating Guayaquil's independence on October 9, 1820. Visit the Seminarioa Park (Iguana Park). Continue through the South Market and Integration Plaza; see the Civic Plaza ad the Moorish Clock Tower which was used in the old days to warm the inhabitants of pirate attacks, Drive through Las Penas, the oldest part of the city. Stroll through Chile Street, famous for the Indian market.
Day 8: Guayaquil/USA: Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the USA (Passengers on LAN flights will depart in the late evening for an overnight flight, arriving in the USA the next morning).
Photo Tour Includes
- Included Features: •All ground transportation and transfers •Superior and tourist Mangrove accommodations with private bath at the Red Mangrove Aventura, Floreana & Isabela Lodges on the Islands •6 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 4 dinners •Comprehensive sightseeing tours with a naturalist guide and photographer on the Islands •Galapagos National Park Fee & Transit Control Card
Trip details
Start Date
24 June 2012
Package Price
$2999
Deposit
$500
Max. Number of Students
12
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